No. 2 South Carolina women dismantle No. 5 Texas, extend winning streak to 11

By Canadian Press on January 12, 2025.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Te-Hina Paopao and Chloe Kitts each scored 11 points, and No. 2 South Carolina rolled past No. 5 Texas 67-50 for its 11th straight win on Sunday in front of a sold out crowd of 18,000 at Colonial Life Arena.

Joyce Edwards added 10 points for the Gamecocks (16-1, 4-0 SEC), who became the only team in the nation with 13 wins against Division I teams with winning records. Raven Johnson added eight points and 10 rebounds as coach Dawn Staley improve to 14-3 all-time against Texas coach Vic Shaefer.

Kyla Oldacare led Texas (16-2, 3-1 SEC) with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

Preseason All-American guard Madison Booker was limited to seven points on 3-of-19 shooting for the Longhorns, which had their nine-game winning streak snapped. The sophomore guard came into the game averaging 15.3 points per game.

South Carolina shot 71% from the field in the first half to build a 39-22 lead, while holding Booker to 1-of-14 shooting from the field.

While Booker was struggling to get anything to fall, the Gamecocks couldn’t miss early on.

They made their first four shots from the field and first three from the free throw line to take a 12-5 lead, setting the tone for the game. The Gamecocks lead ballooned to 19 late in the second quarter when Raven Johnson knocked down a mid-range jumper.

NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 67, CLEMSON 58

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Liatu King had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Olivia Miles added 17 points and nine assists and No. 3 Notre Dame held on to beat Clemson without AP Preseason All-American guard Hannah Hidalgo.

Hidalgo had her right foot in a boot before the game and did not play.

King stepped up in her place, making 10 of 14 shots from the field as the Irish (14-2, 5-0 ACC) remained unbeaten in conference play. Miles made all six free throws and Sonia Citron chipped in with nine points and six rebounds for the Irish, who have won nine straight.

Loyal McQueen and Hannah Kohn each had 14 points for Clemson (10-7, 3-3), which was just 6 of 16 from the field in the fourth quarter.

Tessa Miller brought Clemson to within 49-46 with a layup with about eight minutes to play, but the Irish recaptured the momentum and King began to take over. She scored the next four points as the Irish built a double-digit lead to create some breathing room.

NO. 4 SOUTHERN CAL 95, PENN STATE 73

LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 35 points, leading an 18-0 run with 10 points before halftime, and No. 4 Southern California defeated Penn State in one of the first sporting events held in Los Angeles since the deadly wildfires began.

Watkins was 13 of 15 from the floor, making all eight of her shots in the first half, and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line to go with 11 rebounds, five steals and three blocks. The stellar sophomore opened the big second-quarter run with a 3-pointer and closed it with a three-point play in which she stole the ball, scored and got fouled, landing on her rear.

The Trojans (16-1, 6-0 Big Ten) got 28 points from Kiki Iriafen.

Talayah Walker scored 18 points to lead the Nittany Lions (9-8, 0-6). They haven’t won since Dec. 11 at Providence and have dropped six in a row and seven of nine.

NO. 9 OHIO STATE 69, OREGON 60

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Taylor Thierry scored a season-high 20 points and No. 9 Ohio State had a 27-point run second-quarter run in a win over Oregon in the first meeting between the teams as members of the Big Ten.

Ajae Petty had 13 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, and freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge scored 13 points for the Buckeyes (16-0, 5-0 Big Ten).

Nani Falatea and Amina Muhammad scored 11 points apiece and Deja Kelly had 10 for Oregon (12-5, 3-3), which had its three-game winning streak halted.

NO. 10 OKLAHOMA 77, TEXAS A&M 62

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers scored 16 points before suffering a left shoulder injury in the third quarter, and No. 10 Oklahoma rolled past Texas A&M.

Beers, a 6-foot-4 center, was helped off the floor by teammates. She returned to the bench with an ice pack on her shoulder, but did not play again.

The Sooners (14-3, 2-2 SEC) bounced back from a loss to Mississippi State on Thursday to claim their first home SEC win in their first season in the conference.

Aicha Coulibaly scored 16 points for Texas A&M (8-8, 1-3), which shot 26.9%.

It was the second straight blowout loss for the Aggies, who dropped a 90-49 decision to No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday.

Oklahoma made 9 of 14 field goals in the first quarter and Beers scored 10 points in the period as the Sooners took a 27-10 lead.

The Sooners led 44-23 at halftime after holding the Aggies to 18.9% shooting. Beers scored 16 points and made 10 of 11 free throws before the break.

LOUISVILLE 69, NO. 13 GEORGIA TECH 60

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tajianna Roberts scored 16 to lead a balanced attack and Louisville thumped No. 13 Georgia Tech for its sixth straight victory.

Roberts missed all six of her 3-point attempts but sank 8 of 12 from inside the arc for the Cardinals (12-5, 5-1 ACC). Ja’Leah Williams totaled 13 points and seven rebounds. Nyla Harris scored 11 on 5-for-5 shooting with seven rebounds.

Kara Dunn hit 8 of 10 shots and scored 18 to lead the Yellow Jackets (15-2, 3-2). Dunn has scored in double figures in 11 straight games. She had 33 points last time out as Georgia Tech suffered its first loss of the season — 105-94 to Virginia Tech in double overtime. Tonie Morgan had 13 points and six assists, while Chazadi Wright scored 10 off the bench.

NO. 14 DUKE 60, VIRGINIA 55

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Backup guard Oluchi Okananwa scored 17 points, Taina Mair hit two big 3-pointers, and No. 14 Duke rallied in the second half to defeat Virginia.

Okananwa hit a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter and followed with a mid-range jumper to give Duke (13-4, 4-1 ACC) its first lead of the game, 44-43 with nine minutes remaining.

It was Mair, though, who hit the biggest shots. Her 3-pointer with five minutes remaining put the Blue Devils back ahead 53-50. A jumper by Toby Fournier and a layup from Okananwa extended Duke’s lead to 57-50 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining but Virginia (10-7, 2-3) closed to within 57-55 in the final minute.

Mair missed a pullup jumper and Virginia’s Edessa Noyan missed a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left. Mair buried a 3 with 14 seconds left for a 60-55 lead and Okananwa’s steal three seconds later finished off the win.

NO. 15 KENTUCKY 80, AUBURN 61

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Georgia Amoore totaled 21 points and 11 assists, Dazia Lawrence scored 18 of her 21 in the second half and No. 15 Kentucky upped its win streak to eight games and continued to steamroll its way through the Southeastern Conference with a victory over Auburn.

Amoore made 7 of 17 shots with a 3-pointer and all six of her free throws for the Wildcats (15-1, 4-0), who have won each of their first four SEC games by at least 16 points for the first time. Lawrence made 8 of 13 shots with four 3-pointers.

Clara Strack had 16 points, five rebounds and she blocked four shots for Kentucky. Teonni Key added 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

DeYona Gaston finished with 23 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers (9-8, 0-4), who have lost five in a row. Mar’shaun Bostic scored a season-high 18, adding seven assists and three steals.

Amoore scored half of Kentucky’s 16 first-quarter points as the Wildcats grabbed a five-point lead.

NO. 16 TENNESSEE 93, ARKANSAS 63

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Taylasia Cooper scored 20 points and No. 16 Tennessee breezed to a 93-63 victory over Arkansas.

Cooper made half of her 14 shots from the floor with a 3-pointer and 5 of 7 free throws for the Lady Volunteers (14-2, 2-2 SEC), who were coming off back-to-back home losses to No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 6 LSU by a combined three points. Cooper also had four steals.

Zee Spearman scored 18 on 7-for-9 shooting, sinking 3 of 3 from 3-point range and adding eight rebounds for Tennessee. Ruby Whitehorn totaled 17 points and Sara Puckett pitched in with 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Izzy Higginbottom scored 26 to pace the Razorbacks (8-11, 1-3). She had six rebounds and six of Arkansas’ 22 turnovers. Carly Keats scored 10.

NO. 18 ALABAMA 84, MISSISSIPPI 78

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Aaliyah Nye hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 32 points as the No. 18 Alabama women bounced back from a humbling loss to beat Mississippi.

The Crimson Tide was crushed 84-40 at No. 5 Texas Thursday.

Ole Miss took a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes and the Rebels held a 17-14 lead to start the second quarter. Nye hit a jumper to start a 6-0 Alabama run to take the lead and Nye and Zaay Green hit back-to-back from deep to give the Tide the lead for good with under two minutes left in the half.

Green hit from behind the arc and added a layup and JeAnna Cunningham hit the second of two free throws to push the Alabama lead to 12 points late in the third quarter, 51-39. Nye hit three 3-pointers in the fourth to help keep Ole Miss at bay, but the Rebels got 3-pointers from Tameiya Sadler and KK Deans in the final minute to get within five before Nye added a late free throw for the final margin.

Nye, who was just 1 of 8 from beyond the arc against Texas, was 7 of 11 from 3-point range. Green was 4 of 5 from distance to add 27 points and Diana Collins contributed 11 points. The Tide (16-2, 3-1 SEC) was 12 of 19 as a team from deep and 28 of 50 from the floor.

Starr Jacobs had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Mississippi (11-5, 2-2). Deans scored 13 points off the bench and Kennedy Todd-Williams and Christeen Iwuala each added 11 points.

NO. 19 NORTH CAROLINA 80, BOSTON COLLEGE 67

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Alyssa Ustby scored 17 points, 12 in a second-half rally as No. 19 North Carolina defeats Boston College.

After trailing by three points at halftime, North Carolina shot 59% in the third quarter and outscored the Eagles 23-12 with Utsby scoring eight points on 4-for-7 shooting. UNC put the game out of reach with an 11-1 run to open the fourth quarter.

Reniya Kelly scored 14 points and freshman Lanie Grant scored 12 off the bench for the Tar Heels (15-3, 3-2 ACC). Utsby had four rebounds and four assists to go with her 8-for-13 shooting. She made 6 of 9 in the second half.

T’yana Todd scored 18 points to lead four Eagles in double digits. Dontavia Waggoner had 15 points and reserves Savannah Samuel and Andrea Daley scored 12 and 10, respectively for Boston College (10-8, 1-4 ACC), which is now sitting on a four-game losing streak.

NO. 20 MICHIGAN STATE 80, WASHINGTON 68

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Reserve Grace VanSlooten scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds —her third double-double this season — and Julia Ayrault also scored 19 points with eight rebounds to help No. 20 Michigan State beat Washington.

Theryn Hallock and Ines Sotelo each scored 11 points for Michigan State (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten).

Elle Ladine hit two free throws, Sayvia Sellers scored in the paint and Ladine added a 3-pointer in a 7-2 spurt that gave the Huskies a one-point lead a little more than 2 minutes into the second half. Michigan State scored seven consecutive points to take a 48-42 lead with 4:58 left in the third quarter and the Spartans led the rest of the way.

Sellers led the Huskies with 21 points, Ladine added 17 and Hannah Stines scored 11. Dalayah Daniels grabbed 11 rebounds to go with six points, three steals and two blocks.

Washington (13-5, 3-2) had its five-game win streak snapped.

NO. 21 N.C. STATE 81, STANFORD 67

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Saniya Rivers had 17 points and 11 rebounds, N.C. State scored 34 points in the third quarter as No. 21 Wolfpack defeated Stanford.

After leading by six points at halftime, the Wolfpack (12-4, 4-1 ACC) shot 65% in the third quarter, including a 5-for-6 stretch in a closing 9-0 run that gave them a 68-43 lead heading to the fourth quarter. N.C. State kept it going early in the fourth, making 5 of 6 shots in the first four minutes to build a 79-57 lead. However, the Wolfpack made only one shot the rest of the game to finish at 53% for the second half and 47% for the game.

Rivers led five starters in double figures. Aziaha James scored 15, Zoe Brooks 14, Madison Hayes 11 and Tilda Trygger 10.

Chloe Clardy had 17 points, Nunu Agara 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Elena Bosgana 14 points for Stanford (9-7, 1-4).

A three-point play by Tess Heal in the final minute of the first quarter gave Stanford an 18-12 lead, but the Wolfpack stormed back with a big finish to the second quarter. Steele hit two 3-pointers and Rivers added a three-point play in a 9-0 run that gave N.C. State a 34-26 lead 45 seconds before halftime. Bosgana scored at the buzzer to make it 34-28 at the break.

INDIANA 74, NO. 23 IOWA 67

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Yarden Garzon scored 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 5 of 5 from 3-point range, Chloe Moore-McNeil added 18 points as the Indiana women beat No. 23 Iowa.

Sydney Parrish made three 3s and finished with 15 points for Indiana (12-4, 4-1 Big Ten). The Hoosiers have won eight of their last nine games with their lone loss coming at home against No. 1 UCLA, 73-62, on Jan. 4.

Taylor McCabe scored 15 points, including four 3-pointers, and Addison O’Grady added 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting for Iowa (12-5, 3-2). The Hawkeyes have lost three games in a row.

Garzon made a layup to open the scoring 44 seconds into the game, Moore-McNeil added a basket in the lane and Parrish added two free throws to make it 6-0 and Indiana never trailed.

Garzon made a jumper and then hit a 3-pointer to give the Hoosiers a 15-point lead — matching their largest of the game — two minutes into the fourth quarter.

NO. 24 CALIFORNIA 82, FLORIDA STATE 70

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Lulu Twidale hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, Ioanna Krimili added 18 and Marta Suarez scored 17 to help the No. 24 California women beat Florida State.

Michelle Onyiah added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting for Cal.

The Golden Bears (16-2, 4-1 ACC), who have won three consecutive games following a 69-58 loss at Clemson on Jan. 2, are off to their best start since the 2012-13 season, when Cal won 28 of its first 30 games and advanced to the Final Four.

Suarez hit a jumper to open the scoring and Twidale followed with two 3-pointers to help Cal jump to a 13-2 lead about 3 1/2 minutes into the game and the Golden Bears never trailed. Cal led 29-13 at the end of the first quarter as Twidale hit three 3s and scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

The Seminoles (13-4, 3-2) committed 12 turnovers — which led to 15 Cal points — and shot just 26% (8 of 31) from the field, 2 of 10 from 3-point range, in the first half.

The Associated Press